MURIC Petitions Senate to Establish Sharia Courts in South West Nigeria

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has petitioned the Nigerian Senate to establish Sharia Courts in all South-Western states, arguing that Muslims in the region lack access to Islamic justice systems available in Northern Nigeria.
MURIC’s Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, presented the proposal during the South West Zonal Public Hearing on the review of the constitution.
Akintola emphasized that the absence of Sharia Courts in the South-West contradicts the pre-colonial Yoruba legal traditions that incorporated Islamic principles.
He urged the establishment of Sharia Courts of Appeal in all South West states, including Edo, to handle Muslim matters exclusively, ensuring non-Muslims are not affected.
Additionally, MURIC advocates for declaring Fridays a national public holiday to accommodate Muslim worship practices. Akintola argued that the current Saturday-Sunday weekend structure favors Christians and lacks religious balance, citing that Thursdays and Fridays were traditional rest days for Muslims before colonial rule.
The group also demands official recognition of Islamic marriage certificates, noting that Christian marriages are accepted nationwide, while Nikkah marriages face non-recognition in official matters. Akintola described this as discriminatory and urged the government to grant Islamic marriages equal legal standing.
MURIC further proposes recognizing the Islamic New Year as a national holiday, as it is already observed in some states. The Senate has assured that all demands will be reviewed and considered during the constitutional amendment process.
The Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN) supports MURIC’s call for judicial reforms and proposes creating specialized courts for Islamic finance to support Muslim economic practices. The Senate Committee on Constitution Review has promised to consider these proposals.